♡ ♥ As your rump landed on the ground, purple wisps from the portal followed you, licking your skin until it faded into the thin air of the Nether.
The heat was something you welcomed, your red fingers numb from the cold tingling as they warmed. You had no doubt that the tips of your ears and nose were also red from the snow you were just immersed in. It was hardly noticeable until now.
"We have another one over here sir!" Someone's voice sounded close to you, causing you to jump to your feet. The iron sword Phil gave you was still firmly in your hand, ready to cut though more bone if needed. Thankfully, a familiar face entered your vision, causing you to lower your sword.
"(Y/n)! It's you!" Their soft voice caught in your ears as they engulfed you in a small hug. Bad had a smile on his face, his surprise easy to detect in his voice. His arrowed tail swished with excitement. You couldn't blame him, it was mere days ago you had left with no plan on returning soon. The male had let you go before waving to whoever was behind him, signalling something with his hand.
"Bad? I thought you would be at the fortress, what are you doing over here?" You inquired, peering over his shoulder to see another person walking over to you.
"Well, it's kind of confusing for us too..." Bad didn't finish, for someone else had joined in the small meeting. "This is Skeppy, my best friend and partner in battle."
You nodded to Skeppy. "And I'm (y/n)"
"Nice to meet you (y/n), Bad has mentioned you to me before, so it's nice to finally meet you." The two of you shook hands, and instantly you could tell he too, was an experienced fighter from his calloused hands and way he carried himself. "We've had a sudden fluctuation of people crossing the portal without gear, stating that the town was being raided by unknown mobs..."
"I didn't think they had the guts to cross, but I can't blame them...." you pondered, thinking about how you would react. The sword in your hand seemed to grow heavier as you spoke, "Wither skeletons have entered the Overworld, and they attacked this town and seem to be spreading fast."
The news you delivered to the two males had surely shocked them, seeing as their expressions similarity followed each other. The silence between the three of you almost drown out the distant cries of Ghasts and lava.
Skeppy recovered first, clearing his throat while eyeing the portal to the Overworld nervously. "We need to warn Lord Technoblade then, and see what he has to say."
"I agree, he would know what to do better than all of us." Bad nodded, turning and beginning the journey back to the fortress. You and Skeppy followed, allowing you to almost touch the tension within the thin hot air of the Nether. Something was brewing, and it was soon going to spill.
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The walk seemed to take forever compared to when you first arrived. Perhaps it was because you could could each heartbeat drumming in your ears from the adrenaline leaving your system. Or maybe you could just be excited to see those who you only just left days ago.
Either way, when the castle appeared behind a netherack pillar, your breath was caught in your throat. You could make out sparkles of gold armour dotting the walls, eyes overlooking the burning land for signs of ash coloured skeletons. The castles strength was intimidating, easing your nerves from the thought of being attacked here. Technoblade's home was strong, guarded by those who would give their lives for not his position, but for him as a living being.
You admired him in a way.
When you entered the castle, an unknown sense of security settled on you. It was almost like the church attic you spent your days in, stealing from the pockets of intoxicated men and women, but instead you felt safer, like nothing could touch you.
The carpeted floors seemed almost alien when walking on them, for you had been so used to traversing the inside of the walls as a servant, you hardly ever needed to use the actual halls. There had no doubt that there were probably maids crawling though the walls at this very moment, glancing at you through the small cracks in hopes to catch some gossip.
The doors to the throne room hadn't changed a bit, golden ore bent and engraved onto the doors to create an enchanting design. The small crystals dotting the door glimmered as Bad opened them, allowing you to see the room void of any life.
"He must be in his chambers overlooking strategies again." Skeppy mumble behind you. It didn't take long to find the door leading to his chambers, and much like the throne rooms entrance, these ones were much the same with gold decorating every inch.
Bad gave a few knocks on the large door, raising his voice to be heard through the thick material. "Your Majesty, I have a visitor that needs to talk to you."
Shuffling was heard from the other side, along with a deafened grunt. "I'm not seeing any visitors at a time like this, you should know this." His voice was strict, but you could hear the exhaustion in his voice. "They can see me after the meeting."
Bad was going to speak again before you stopped him, placing your hand on his shoulder and moving your other to grasp the handle. You sent a nod over your shoulder, confirming that you would be able to handle it from there.
"Good luck (y/n)...." Skeppy whispered, pulling Bad along with him to return to who knows where. A smile of thanks was all you gave in return. Turning back to the door, you took a moment to collect yourself, breathing deeply before entering without permission.
The gesture had startled Technoblade, jumping from his place hunched over the wooden table scattered with faded papers. His face turned to face you immediately, standing up while covering up maps that you assumed had layouts of the Nether. He still wore that bone mask to cover his face, even in what's supposed to be the safest place in the castle.
His scowl instantly faded as his red eyes widened, lips parting in shock. You had almost forgotten how tall he was compared to you, his form casting a shadow on you as he cleared his throat.
"My apologies...I wasn't aware you'd be back so soon (y/n)." He turned his head to look elsewhere in the room, an thin frown playing on his lips.
"It's alright Technoblade, although I wish I came back during a good time." The male looked at you, his ears twitching in question to your wording. "The Wither skeletons, would you assume they're smart enough to find a way to build portals?"
His red eyes flickered, his hand rising up to rub his chin. "There haven't been any cases of such intelligence from them. Why do you ask?"
"Because they're crawling all over the Overworld."
The silence was heavy, like the weight of a new war pressing on both your shoulders. You would fight for your home, to protect those you cared about. Technoblade would do the same, or so you thought. His secret care for his friends was something you knew he would fight for, but you weren't sure if he would fight for a world that mostly disliked the Piglin race.
Technoblade let out a sigh, sitting on a nearby chair, taking off his crown and running a hand through his messy pink hair.
"This doesn't make any sense." His voice was quiet, tired. It wouldn't surprise you, with all the problems he was supposed to solve because of his position. How he handled the stress was once beyond your understanding. It was hardly noticeable, the small slouch in his shoulders, and the heavy blinks- he was exhausted.
You walked over to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He made no move to remove it, so you began to speak.
"Listen, I'm not sure as to what's going on, but I'm willing to fight by your side in order to protect the ones I care about. I'm willing to fight for you."
"I appreciate that, (y/n). I only wish I didn't have to worry about the sacrifices for this war that should have been over with many years ago." Standing from his chair, your hand slipped off his shoulder and returned to your side. You watched as he grabbed his red cape from his chair, throwing the red fabric over his shoulders and clipping it down. His golden crown found its way on his head once more. "Come with me, I have a meeting with my generals about our plans, and your information could be needed."
You followed the Piglin through the doors, staying slightly behind him as to not seem disrespectful. That was until he tilted his head back to look at you through his bone mask, gesturing you to walk beside him.
You picked up your pace until you were beside him, short legs working to keep up with his long strides. It didn't take long to reach your destination; Technoblade held a door open that lead to a smaller room than the court room, holding a large circular table with a detailed map of the Nethers territories. Generals that came from both the Overworld and Nether sat around, even Adrian, the Physician took a seat at the table. His purple eyes met yours, widening a little before he gave you his gentle smile.
You easily returned it, and joined the table by an empty seat near Technoblade. It felt strange, having so many eyes of people who would have killed you on the spot if they caught you stealing only weeks ago. Only now they looked at you with questioning and suspicious glances. Not much of a change, but it was something.
"General Barnett, give a rundown of the stationed locations we have our troops at the moment, in human tongue." Your eyes looked around the faces around you, landing on the one and only guard you despised. Wart stood, his red eyes glaring at you for a moment before pointing to some places on the map. You didn't care for his name at this point, for you would only know him for his little feature that defined his face so well. His bulky Piglin frame loomed over the table, flicking his hand over the small pieces resembling troops on the map.
He seemed to be judging you, glaring at you each time he spoke of one battalion of soldiers stationed at what was suspected to be possible battlefields for what was to come. Wart had suspected that the Withers plan was to attack Technoblade's kingdom, so he suggested spreading the troops to cover the main paths to the kingdom. The thick accent of Netherspeak clung to his words, almost as if he was trying to lose you in his incapability to speak.
It seemed like child's play.
When Wart was done speaking, he adjusted his sloppy tie and sat down. A smug smile just barely visible on his face. You had no doubt it was meant to deter you from this spot of power graciously given to you by Technoblade.
However, you were going to secure your position. To show that you earned that seat.
"I don't think the Withers plan on coming on any of those paths. Besides, your forces are spread too thin. Even if they all came from one point, the rest of your battalions won't be able to make it in time if they're overwhelmed." Your voice was strong, or so you made it seem. In truth you were nervous to have all those eyes on you, looking for a flaw in your plan.
Wart was especially furious.
"You're foolish, where else would they come from? The pools of lava below?" Wart bellowed, causing some other Generals to chuckle with him. Techno frowned, glancing at you with his lips pressed to a thin line, but you shook your head in hopes to tell him you had it under control. The laughter directed at you was infuriating, but you knew something they didn't.
"They're building portals. Even now as we speak, they crawl on the surface of the Overworld, burning villages to ash. Who's to say they won't build portals that go directly to the castle?" Your words echoed into silence, the rest of the table shocked at your words. You caught Adrian's eyes, a small frown on his face as he nodded, impressed with your reasoning.
"Wither Skeletons aren't smart enough to build portals, so it's impossible for them to be infesting the surface. Your lies would do better in a pleasure house, in the ears of men-"
"Barnett, I suggest you hold your tongue before I cut it off for you." Technoblade roared, causing Wart to flinch back into his seat. The King was currently standing from his seat, both hands pressed on the surface of the table as if threatening to turn the whole thing over. The other Generals also seemed scared at the sudden outburst, sitting straighter and removing their eyes from you. Technoblade's eyes seemed to glow behind his mask, a red glow glancing at each and every body that sat at the table. "No one dares to speak to Lady (y/n) like that. She is a woman that has my respect."
And like that, his word was law.
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